LUNCHTIME TALK

Stuart Bath: Life in the Forgotten City

Dr John Wroughton

Author & former Headmaster of King Edward’s School Bath

13 January 2005.

Dr Wroughton told the story of life and work in the 17^th century city - a period which has been largely ignored by historians in the past and 'gently airbrushed out of Bath's rich heritage'. Yet this forgotten city was a lively, colourful and affluent place with fine buildings, a vigorous health spa and a brand new Abbey Church.

During the first fifty years it found itself at the heart of the puritan revolution and played a significant part in the Civil War, before eventually freeing itself to lay the foundations

for the spectacular rise of the leisure resort under Beau Nash. There was, of course, a more seamy side to the city - the squalor of its streets, the intimidation of its beggars, the stench of its atmosphere, the addiction of its gamblers and the bitter in-fighting of its Councillors.

Drawing heavily on the wealth of research undertaken for his recent book (with the same title), Dr Wroughton described in vivid detail the system of security, the lack of proper sanitation, the endless threat of fire, the ongoing fear of epidemic and the piped supply of fresh water. He pinpointed those features of Stuart Bath which are still visible; highlighted the economy of the city and the commercialisation of the health spa; stressed the importance of religion and the growth of nonconformity; outlined the entertainments on offer (including animal baiting) and the arrival of the coffee house; and emphasised the crucial role played by both the grammar school and the hospitals. Finally, he suggested that the imposition (in 1650) of a fifteen-minute waiting restriction on horses in the streets of Bath merely foreshadowed the arrival of the traffic warden.

Responding to questions, the speaker discussed some relating to specific city sites, one concerning the Common (now the Approach Golf Course at Victoria Park) upon which the City’s Freemen had the right to graze animals. An intriguing story of relationships between Freemen and Bath City Councils is given in his book, but some aspects were outlined. Apart from the Common grazing rights, the Freemen had exclusive rights to set up shops in the City. By 1590, when the City’s Charter was renewed, the Council had assumed self-appointment privileges. Save for serious crimes or regular in-attendance, the thirty Councillors remained for life and alone re-appointed successors and elected two MPs. Around 200 Freemen, who felt increasingly sidelined in terms of real authority, re-asserted their claim for a greater say in local affairs at various times over the next two centuries.

In response to another question on the Battle of Lansdown, Dr Wroughton confirmed that the Parliamentarian army was billeted in and around Bath - Sir William Waller reportedly briefing his officers in the Great Hall of what is now Abbey Church House. Churches and hospitals were used as billets, prisoners were put into inns and lodging houses and there was much disruption of local life. As one of five major national battlefield sites, the Battle itself, as well as other aspects of Bath history has not been well celebrated locally by its authorities, in the view of the speaker.

Geoffrey Catchpole